How The Tech Entrepreneurs Live: From L.A. Mansions to NYC Penthouses

(Nation Pulse) – With the tech sector booming, and much of the industry’s talent moving from Silicon Valley to Silicon Alley, BrokerPulse brings you a glimpse into their posh digs – from ‘modern castles’ to palatial penthouses, and even entire islands.

It is apparent that regardless of the state of the real estate market for the rest of the country, residential sales are skyrocketing wherever tech stars decide to call home. In the last few months alone, several tech moguls have purchased new residences with their ever-expanding bank accounts.

Zynga CEO and cofounder Mark Pincus scored a $16million San Francisco mansion, Oracle CEO Larry Ellison purchased the entire Hawaiian Island of Lanai for $600million and Netscape cofounder Jim Clark bought an estate on Southampton for $49million, according to Business Insider.

The desire to build bigger and better near the business center of Silicon Valley has caused sales to skyrocket, according to NBC.

Currently leading the nation in the number of homes sold for $1million or more, sales of the pricey properties have more than doubled in the past year alone, according to Realtytrac, beating out luxury leaders like Beverly Hills and Miami.

25) MARISSA MAYER, YAHOO!

The modest looking 5,203sqft residence was once host to a fundraiser for President Barack Obama, where each diner contributed $30,000 for the pleasure of sitting in.

24) MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK

24) MARK ZUCKERBERG, FACEBOOK

Facebook’s founder Mark Zuckerberg also stayed close to the center of his industry.

His relatively modest home is right beside the new Facebook headquarters in Menlo Park, California.

Business Insider reports he purchased the five-bedroom, five-bath house for $7million in May 2011. Due to rising real estate prices, that means his home is now valued at $7.6million.

23) MARK HURD, ORACLE

23) MARK HURD, ORACLE

Mark Hurd, the copresident of Oracle Corporation and former CEO of Hewlett-Packard, owns a 6,401sqft residence in Atherton, California.

The five-bedroom and six-bath home was purchased in 2005 for $7.1million, but is now valued at $7.8million.

22) LARRY PAGE, GOOGLE

22) LARRY PAGE, GOOGLE

Larry Page purchased his home for $7million in 2005 as well, but now the CEO of Google’s home is worth $8million. His 8,149sqft Palo Alto estate has six bedrooms and six bathrooms.

But a few years later, Mr Page built a second home on his property, an entirely Eco-friendly one, with an elevator, solar panels, a rooftop garden and previous paving in the parking lot.

21) CAROL BARTZ, YAHOO!

21) CAROL BARTZ, YAHOO!

The former CEO of Yahoo, Carol Bartz, also lives in Atherton, California, in a 2,00sqft home spread out on four acres on Isabella Avenue.

She and her husband Bill Marr, a former executive at Data General and Sun Microsystems, purchased the home for $4.6million in 1995, but since then, the value has ballooned to $8.5million.

20) SHERYL SANDBERG, FACEBOOK

20) SHERYL SANDBERG, FACEBOOK

Sheryl Sandberg has rapidly come to prominence as one of the tech world’s most powerful women.

And the Facebook COO’s huge family home in Atherton certainly befits that status, as it cost $8million when she bought it in 2004.

The mogul is said to be building a new home near her firm’s headquarters, so she may be moving before too long.

19) GIDEON GARTNER, GARTNER INC

19) GIDEON GARTNER, GARTNER INC

Gideon Gartner spent a whopping $9.5million on his Manhattan one-bedroom after cashing in on Gartner Inc, his technology-research firm.

He bought his new home after shedding his old penthouse at the Park Millennium for around $19.5million.

18) JACK DORSEY, TWITTER

18) JACK DORSEY, TWITTER

The founder of Twitter and Square, Jack Dorsey, spent his millions on a mansion overlooking the sea in San Francisco.

Mr Dorsey’s home on a cliff in El Camino Del Mar in the tony Seacliff neighborhood was purchased in February of this year for a cool $9.9million.

The property with a serious vista was reportedly the most expensive home in the entire city at the time, sporting views of the Golden Gate Bridge and the San Francisco Bay.

17) TOM PROULX, INTUIT

17) TOM PROULX, INTUIT

Tim Proulx, the cofounder of Intuit and the chairman of Netpulse, owns not one, but three adjacent properties on Fletcher Drive in Atherton, California.

His homes, separately priced at $5.9million, $2.7million and $2.1million, together bring the value of his compound to $11million.

16) SERGEY BRIN, GOOGLE

16) SERGEY BRIN, GOOGLE

Sergey Brin, the cofounder of Google, spent some of his fortune on a lavish penthouse in New York’s West Village. Purchased in 2008, he bought his swanky 3,457sqft apartment for $8.5million.

The four-bedroom pad also sports a 23-foot balcony and a limestone bath – with heated floors. But Manhattan doesn’t host his only home; Mr Brin also owns a lavish Los Altos Hills estate which reportedly cost $7million for the land alone.

15) JOHN CHAMBERS, CISCO

15) JOHN CHAMBERS, CISCO

The CEO of Cisco Systems, John Chambers, also has a Los Altos Hills home, only his is worth an estimated $15million.

The 8,280sqft estate sits on six acres of landscaped gardens and has a fitness center, sauna, pool, spa and tennis court. It’s also for sale, if you’re interested.

14) GARY BLOOM, MARKLOGIC

14) GARY BLOOM, MARKLOGIC

Gary Bloom, the CEO of MarkLogic, has also chosen Atherton as his personal stomping ground.

Situated on the elite Isabella Avenue, his 8,500sqft home is worth $15.5million.

13) MARK PINCUS, ZYNGA

13) MARK PINCUS, ZYNGA

Mark Pincus, the CEO of online gaming company Zynga, opted to stake his claim in the northern region of the Golden State.

Mr Pincus purchased a classic San Francisco home for $16million this month. The gorgeous property has seven bedrooms, an elevator, eight fireplaces and breathtaking views of the bay.

Built in 1907, the four-storey home previously belonged to philanthropist Jane Newhall.

12) MARK CUBAN, BROADCAST.COM

12) MARK CUBAN, BROADCAST.COM

Mark Cuban, the cofounder of Broadcast.com and owner of the Dallas Mavericks, is one of the only tech moguls to live in Texas.

One of the original dotcommers, Mr Cuban made billions when he sold his startup to Yahoo for $5.9billion in 1999.

His 24,000sqft mansion in Dallas is worth an estimated $17.6million, making it the ninth most expensive home in the city.

Mr Cuban built his humble abode himself, careful to include 10 bedrooms and 13 bathrooms.

11) THE WINKLEVOSS TWINS, FACEBOOK

11) THE WINKLEVOSS TWINS, FACEBOOK

The Winklevoss twins Tyler and Cameron just made headlines when they purchased the Tanager Modern estate in the Hollywood Hills last month.

The $18million home will reportedly be the pair’s West Coast headquarters for their new company, Winklevoss Capital.

10) ERIC SCHMIDT, GOOGLE

10) ERIC SCHMIDT, GOOGLE

Eric Schmidt, the executive chairman of Google, has a sprawling Spanish Colonial mansion on four acres of Montecito, California, real estate.

Mr Schmidt bought the home from talk show host Ellen DeGeneres and has been known to rent out the 5,000sqft property for special events…such as Kim Kardashian and Kris Humphries’ doomed nuptials.

The $20million home is just one of Mr Schmidt’s numerous properties as his portfolio includes residences in Nantucket and Atherton.

9) SEAN PARKER, NAPSTER

9) SEAN PARKER, NAPSTER

Perennial partyboy and prominent investor Sean Parker lives in a $25million West Village townhouse, according to Business Insider.

Mr Parker, who is best known for his investments in Napster and Facebook, purchased the 7,500 property in 2011 for $20million.

8) JEFF BEZOS, AMAZON

Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon, has also opted for a more luxurious living space.

His $26million mansion in Beverly Hills is a sprawling 12,000sqft and has a pool, sunken tennis court, a gym, a greenhouse and a separate guesthouse.

7) PAUL ALLEN, MICROSOFT

7) PAUL ALLEN, MICROSOFT

Paul Allen, the cofounder of Microsoft and chairman of Vulcan, lives in the definition of luxury.

His $26million compound on Seattle’s Mercer Island has a floating helipad, a dock, a ballroom, pool with a waterslide, a full basketball court and seven mansions.

Valued at $10million, $9.3million, $3.5million, $1.6million, $1.5million, $1.5million, and $650,000, he is definitively the king of his compound.

6) JIM CLARK, NETSCAPE

6) JIM CLARK, NETSCAPE

The founder of Netscape, Jim Clark, has recently purchased a nine-acre Southampton estate for $49million.

The 18,000sqft home has 12 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, three half-bathrooms and has a fountain and paddleball court.

5) MICHAEL DELL, DELL

Michael Dell, who founded Dell computers, primarily lives in a modern ‘castle’ in Austin, Texas. When he’s in the mood for a getaway, he jets off to his ‘Raptor Residence’: a, 18,500sqft estate in Hawaii.

Situated in a private community on the Big Island, the home has seven bedrooms and has been appraised by local publications to be worth a whopping $62million.

4) OMID KORDESTANI, GOOGLE

4) OMID KORDESTANI, GOOGLE

The senior adviser to Google appears to have one of the the most expensive properties of his peers.

Omid Kordestani reportedly paid $29.5million in March of 2008 for his 15 Central Park West address. His 5,416sqft apartment is said to be work $70million now.

3) YURI MILNER, INVESTOR

The Russian investor purchased the extravagant estate in March 2011, when it was one of the most expensive real estate sales in the entire country.

The home, which was reportedly not even on the market when he bought it, is now valued to be worth only $50million.

The 30,000sqft home has five bedrooms, nine bathrooms, a ballroom, wine cellar and home theater.

2) BILL GATES, MICROSOFT

2) BILL GATES, MICROSOFT

Bill Gates’ Xanadu 2.0 is worth an estimated $121million. The Microsoft founder’s 66,000sqft mansion in Medina, Washington, has incredible high-tech features like a pool with an underwater music system, a library with a domed reading room and heated floors and driveways.

Guests visiting the digitally-enhanced home must reportedly wear computerized pins so the house can monitor one’s travels throughout the many halls and rooms in order to adjust the music, lighting and climate settings to the person’s preference.

Xanadu 2.0 took seven years to build and cost $63million.

1) LARRY ELLISON, ORACLE

1) LARRY ELLISON, ORACLE

Larry Ellison’s personal island of Lanai takes the cake for most expensive ‘home’ at a cool $600million.

The cofounder and CEO of Oracle purchased 98 per cent of the island in June 2012, allowing him to call the 141sqmiles of pristine nature his own.